Protectorate Association
The driving force behind the Tripartite Council and the instigator of the Treaty of Centauri, the Protectorate Association is a multiracial socio-political group which exists in flux opposite to the rather more monolithic Elven Star Empire or Elven United Realms. Unlike the other two major factions in the Known Universe, it appears that the Protectorate Association is composed strictly of “native species”, races that would have evolved in this region of space. The Protectorate Association already existed when the Exodus occurred and their power was always rather monumental, but unfortunately for them, the sheer amount of Elven, gnomish and dwarven refugees from the Faewild overwhelmed them, preventing them from doing what they do best: turn them in protectorates. The main reason a race would willingly turn themselves into Client-State of the Star Empire or Royal Union is to evade such a fate. The Protectorate works in a very simple manner: once a specie reaches a certain level in its evolution and technology, the Protectorate forces invade the world and annexes it to the Protectorate as a member state. This makes the Protectorate a very diverse organization, with a constant flow of races and cultures, all of which work toward a goal of galactic domination. Extermination of races that would not make good members of the Protectorate Association is also possible, but the Treaty of Centauri is supposed to have put a stop to this. The races that the Terran Confederacy most had to deal with from the Protectorate, some of which willfully had a portion of their population “liberated” by the Confederacy, are known as the “Centauri Races”, whose homeworlds are generally closer to Terra and the Imperial / Union border. Probably the most numerous one are the Ysoki, a diminutive, rodent-like species which specializes in laser technology and underground work. The Ysoki appear to be more or less unwilling to remain a member of the Protectorate and many worlds associated with this race have been trying to secede in recent years, with a steady flow of refugees going towards the Etherite Federation, Terran Confederacy and Baal'Ken Hordes territory. On the other side of the spectrum are the mighty Vesk, humanoid lizards of massive proportions that are completely subservient to the will of the Protectorate and serve as their main military forces in the Centauri region. Whenever political negociation is required, the Protectorate relies heavily on the dimorphic species known as the Lashunta, where a significant portion of the race are small and tough Korasha ''Lashunta, serving has bodyguards, while the tall and gracious ''Damaya Lashunta do the speaking. Of course, the Lashunta also serve in invasion forces as well. A race of insectoid scavengers / exploiters also seem to have joined the Protectorate recently. Called the Shirren, they have yet to be seen having an impact in the region. Finally, the region was reinforced in recent years by a group of warriors from another region of space, the four-armed Kasatha, who have taken over the command of many Protectorate forces in the Centauri region. Imperial Intelligence is not sure if those Kasatha might be the actual brain behind most of the Protectorate or just another race of subservient aliens that do the bidding of a mysterious master. Other races seen at times include the underground dwelling Hurraka, the immense, high gravity dwelling Faedrek and the amphibious Kuudrin. While those three races are much rarer in the Centauri region, they are more commonly seen on the Imperial and Union front.